March 26, 2025

Viewing all things through the lens of the True and the beautiful!

The True

Out of the Storm

“Brace yourself like a man.”

It is a stern directive that sounds as though it is coming from a commanding officer or an overbearing father. In reality, it is the voice of the loving and compassionate God in Job 40:7.

My wife, Brooke, shared from this passage as she reflected on her mom’s recent passing. Job, a man of God, has been through the wringer. He has been stripped of all he had and subjected to great affliction. He has suffered mightily and is engaged with God in a conversation about his affliction.

In verse two, God asks Job, “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?

Job replies, “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer—twice, but I will say no more” (v. 3-4).

God’s response is extremely direct: “Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm: ‘Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me’” (v. 6-7).

Your life has storms. It is a certainty of life—there will be hard times. This passage affords you two specific assurances and safe harbors amid those storms.

First, your God is in the midst of the storm. The phrase, “out of the storm” appears multiple times in Job. Unlike the miracle of Jesus calming the storms (which proves He can do it), God chooses to speak to Job from the midst of the storm. He is specifically declining to reduce the pressure of the moment and is instead demonstrating the truth that He—and He alone—can withstand the storm. It may have been the storm that got Job’s attention initially, but ultimately Job’s attention was fixed on the God who spoke out of the storm.

Next, God is God, and you are not. Even after Job concedes he is unworthy to question God or His purposes, the voice of the Lord is direct. Essentially, God says, “I will do the talking and ask the questions, and you will answer to me.”

It sounds like anger, but it is really just a plain reminder of Who is in control, and Who deserves your ultimate devotion.

When Jesus walked the Earth, He personally demonstrated the value of growing in wisdom and understanding (Lk. 2:52). But it is easy to conclude our primary goal is to know as God knows, when in reality He has asked that we simply surrender to obedience even when our understanding falls short (1 Sam. 15:22, Micah 6:6-8, Matt. 9:13).

God is God, and He calls to you from out of the storms of your life. He can calm the storms and He often will (I contend the story of Habakkuk grants you great latitude to petition God for such intervention). But ultimately, God is asking if you will submit to His Lordship. Will you surrender to His authority to do the final questioning? When He calls—no matter the ask—will you answer and obey?

“Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Sam. 15:22).

World

Breach

A week and a half after the U.S. launched an intense wave of bombing attacks on Houthi rebels in Yemen, a journalist revealed he had inadvertently been included in a secure group chat with top U.S. officials discussing specific plans for the attack. The journalist was invited into the chat—which the administration has confirmed as authentic—by national security advisor Mike Waltz, and as a result was privy to war deliberations between Waltz, Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and high ranking staff including White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and homeland security advisor Stephen Miller.

The underlying rationale for the bombings was to secure the Suez Canal and the Red Sea against ongoing Houthi attacks on shipping vessels. Houthi attacks in the channel have been consistent in recent months and have significantly disrupted commercial shipping for the world economy—especially Europe.

Analysis and eternal perspective: There are at least two critical public policy issues at play here. First, the Houthi attacks, which are self-described as retaliation for U.S. support for Israel. Next, the inadvertent inclusion of someone outside the chain of command on war plans and deliberations.

Each of these issues is a serious one and deserves sober consideration. There is no doubt the Houthis are terrorizing the region and in turn the world economy. It is also unequivocally true that every decision to take military action deserves careful deliberation and due caution. Decisions of war deserve the utmost care and, when engagement is ordered, those carrying out the orders deserve the highest protection possible, including the security of information about the operation.

While both issues are important, the revelation about the group chat is certain to swamp coverage of the underlying bombings. As Jesus followers, we should consider each portion of this story with a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7), prayers for those shouldering the weight of these decisions (1 Tim. 2:1-3), and a heart inclined toward those bearing the brunt of both the Houthi oppression and the ensuing military action (2 Cor. 1:3-4).

Sports

Madness

Madness, mayhem, and broken brackets.

Much of the sports world (particularly in the U.S.) is focused on the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, which crowns a national champion for Division I men’s college basketball and makes up a significant portion of what is commonly dubbed “March Madness.” In the first week of the tournament, the field of teams was trimmed from 68 to 16, and next week will determine the “Final Four” teams, which will head to San Antonio, Texas to compete for the national championship.

The NCAA women’s tournament follows a similar format and schedule, and has grown significantly in popularity in recent years. The women’s championship will be played on April 6 in Tampa, Florida, one night before the men’s championship on April 7.

Analysis and eternal perspective: I love March Madness. As a kid, I had paper brackets strewn everywhere and was always making sure every family member—including those who didn’t care about basketball—turned in a prediction. As an adult, I still love the tournament and was even gifted a reusable dry-erase bracket that gets dusted off and used each year.

Of course, there is limited eternal utility in which teams prevail and win national championships. That said, if you are following the tournaments, take note of how these young men and women (and their coaches) respond once they have been eliminated. There is a consistent theme of reflecting less on the outcome (only one team in each tournament will end with a win) and more on the gratitude of spending a season together in pursuit of a common goal.

Let’s make it our prayer as Jesus followers to embrace this mission we are on together—the mission of making disciples. Yes, we currently live in a broken and ultimately temporary place. But we are journeying toward eternity and have the unspeakable privilege of joining together for the purpose of calling others into relationship with Jesus. Let’s together endeavor to revel in that purpose as we’re in it.

“Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls” (1 Pet. 1:8-9).

U.S.

Facilitating Closure

U.S. President Donald Trump this week issued an executive order directing Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to begin facilitating the closure of the U.S. Department of Education. The order specifically says the Secretary, “shall, to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities while ensuring the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.”

As a part of this process, the White House announced that oversight of student loans would shift from the Department of Education to the Small Business Administration (except those for students with disabilities, which will be reorganized within the Department of Health and Human Services).

Analysis and eternal perspective: The size and scope of the federal government has long been an intense debate in U.S. politics. As a result, a story about the planned closure of a federal agency is sure to generate white-hot debate. If you are a U.S. citizen, no matter whether you favor a robust Department of Education or support its closure, this process presents you with a prime opportunity to interact with your own self-governance.

The U.S. Constitution established the framework for a limited federal government with three separate and co-equal branches, each with distinct powers articulated by one of the first three articles of the Constitution. There are many instances, including the Department of Education, of the Article I branch (Legislative) creating a component of the Article II branch (Executive). This interplay between the branches was a tension the Founders purposefully infused into the structure in order to limit the power of each branch. It provides U.S. citizens with multiple ways to impact the governing process.

As a Jesus follower, you should care about, and invest in the flourishing of, your community (Jer. 29:4-7). While there can be genuine disagreement about the best way to accomplish this shared goal, The Equipped family should lead the way in unifying under this biblical admonition to advance the wellbeing of those around us.

Simultaneously, your ultimate home is in heaven (Philip. 3:20). As you fervently work to created flourishing in the here and now, do not lose sight of the fact that your current station is within a kingdom that will pass away, and your investment should be constantly aimed in a direction that will last forever.

The Beautiful

Planted to Flourish

“Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God” (Ps. 92:13).

Winds will come. What is visible will sway. But the beauty that is planted and rooted deeply in good soil will stand!

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